Multicultural education in Germany has been profoundly affected by history and the consequences and burdens of war. As Germany has always understood itself to be a monocultural country, there was initially little room for unpopular multicultural approaches to school organization and curriculum. Depending on the political orientation of state…

This CD-ROM is part of an interactive and dynamic multimedia package of information and games for learning K'iche' and Ixil. This CD-ROM includes six books in electronic format with interactive exercises that support improved bilingual and intercultural education and teacher training, specifically in the languages of K'iche' and Ixil. Books…

This study assessed a range of pre-service teachers' beliefs about second language learning and teaching language to minority students. A group of 91 beginning pre-service teachers completed a survey that asked them to rate their agreement with 16 statements about non-English speakers and second language learners. The statements reflected key…

Aligned with its 1998 standards for first and second language learning, Alberta Learning has published lesson plans that aim for a closer relationship between learning and evaluation. Each volume in this series presents a specific task for students that involves planning, carrying out and evaluating their work. The task for seventh grade students…

Examines the history of German language instruction in American elementary schools (focusing on four midwestern school districts) in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Highlights past administrative and political developments and issues that remain of concern for bilingual education programs today. (Author/MJL)

Describes efforts in one Oregon school district to learn about and help Southeast Asian refugee families adjust to American schools. Discusses data from a survey of refugee parents and ethnographic observations, and provides information on family characteristics, cross cultural communication, parent involvement in schools, and bilingualism.…

The need for and problems of teaching ethnic languages in the United States are discussed. Difficulties include inadequately trained teachers and lack of teaching materials and guidelines. An institute for teachers of Spanish speakers is described, with emphasis on the development of a theory defining native language instruction. (PMJ)

A Massachusetts elementary two-way bilingual education program represents a democratic, efficient approach to the education of two distinct language groups by balancing second-language instruction in English and Spanish and by integrating the two student populations. Discusses program goals, team teaching, classroom setting, program structure,…

Native-speaking Northern Arapaho elders produced bilingual booklets for their reservation schools that, due to their ephemeral nature and local context, provided access to intimate information about their producers and contexts. These booklets provide the best example within the culture of how traditional practices of oral performance…

Describes a project that used QuickTime digital television to create multimedia computer programs to supplement and expand native language instruction in elementary schools in British Columbia. The Nedut'en dialect of the Carrier language is explained, computer-assisted language instruction is discussed, and technical limitations are considered.…

Argues, on the basis of research carried out in Canada and Belgium, that not only does the formal learning of the ancestral language in school enhance the overall cognitive abilities of immigrant children but also constitutes the optimal means by which such children can gain literacy in the dominant language. (37 references) (MDM)

A Canadian university teacher of Native languages assessed the effectiveness of personal acquaintance with students, realistic reassurance, and avoidance of threatening behaviors for preventing and reducing school anxiety among Native students. Five case histories illustrate the successes and limitations of this approach. (Author/SV)

Assesses Nigeria's efforts to achieve mother-tongue literacy for its citizens. Describes Nigeria's complicated sociolinguistic landscape, national language policies, and the Ife experimental project, studying the use of the mother tongue in primary schools. Points to nonlinguistic factors in educational success, including parental background,…

This article examines the nature of language education and the national curriculum for language education in Italian elementary and secondary schools. Analysis of the curriculum shows the place given to the development of language awareness and of conscious knowledge of language in Italian schools. (seven references) (MDM)

Describes the attributes of effective programs and teachers serving language-minority students. Summarizes findings from large-scale studies and describes a case study of two bilingual early childhood teachers. Their instructional perspectives and practices are discussed in terms of the role of language and culture in their classrooms, their…